As MCA continues to fine-tune its Nashville operation under new president/CEO Mike Harris, the company has laid off nearly 20 employees in a round of staff cuts across multiple departments.

Among those let go are several high level executives including Leigh Malleus (vp of media marketing), Karen Naff (vp of creative services) and Gary Keffer (vp of strategic marketing), as well as Michelle Hall (senior director of marketing), Troy Scott (senior director of e-commerce) and Leah Ducey (senior director of digital marketing).

Also impacted are Megan Youngblood (director of regional promotion), Kathryn Huffman (director of strategic marketing), Alyssa Logan (director of marketing & project management), Lindsey Terry (director of marketing & artist development) and Chance Maxwell (director of streaming marketing), Sarah Marie Burke (A&R manager), Chandler Stebbins (strategic marketing manager), Chris Jones (e-commerce & retail manager), Kaitlin Mays (digital marketing manager), Alex Mazza (marketing project coordinator) and Taylor Steele (media marketing coordinator).

Representatives for MCA and parent company Universal Music Group (UMG) either didn’t respond to a request for comment or declined to comment, but sources say the new MCA will operate as a smaller unit than the former iteration of the label previously known at UMG Nashville did under former chairman/CEO Cindy Mabe, who was let go in January.

During her two-year tenure, Mabe greatly expanded UMG Nashville, including launching a comedy imprint, Capitol Comedy Network, as well a distribution and independent artist services arm, Silver Wings Records, and a TV and film production company called Sing Me Back Home Productions. She also moved the company into live production by partnering with Cirque du Soleil to present Songblazers: A Journey into Country Music.

Harris, who was named president/CEO in February, will work alongside chief creative officer Dave Cobb and Rob Femia, who added COO to his duties as executive vp of business and legal affairs earlier this month, as well as executive vp/GM Katie McCartney.

Since Harris returned to UMG Nashville (which rebranded as MCA in April), UMG’s coastal labels have continued to add to their footprints in the country music capital. In April, Los Angeles-based Interscope Geffen A&M (IGA) Records announced the relaunch of the iconic Lost Highway imprint, which had previously been part of UMG Nashville until 2012, when it went dormant. Former Thirty Tigers executive Robert Knotts and Universal Music Group Nashville (UMGN) executive Jake Gear will serve as co-heads and executive vps of the resurrected label.  

In May, former Big Loud executive Candice Watkins was named president of Capitol Records Nashville and executive vp of Capitol Christian Music Group.

Watkins’ new role comes as Los Angeles-based Capitol Music Group, under the direction of CEO Tom March, brings Capitol Christian Music Group (CCMG) and its country division, Capitol Records Nashville, under the Capitol Music Group Nashville umbrella. 

MCA’s imprints include EMI Records Nashville, Lucille Records, Mercury Nashville and MCA Nashville, representing artists including Eric Church, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Alan Jackson and Little Big Town.